Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id RAA16969 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Tue, 30 Jan 2001 17:09:08 GMT Date: Tue, 30 Jan 2001 09:00:34 -0800 From: Bill Spight <bspight@pacbell.net> Subject: Re: Mirror neurons To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Message-id: <3A76F332.FF82C86B@pacbell.net> Organization: Saybrook Graduate School X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.72 [en]C-CCK-MCD {Yahoo;YIP052400} (Win95; U) Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit X-Accept-Language: en References: <5.0.2.1.0.20010129232408.021b68d0@pop3.htcomp.net> Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Dear Mark,
> From "Read My Mind" in New Scientist, 1/24/01
>
> "Vittorio Gallese, Giacomo Rizzolatti and their colleagues at the
> University of Parma have identified an entirely new class of
> neurons. These neurons are active when their owners perform a certain
> task, and in this respect are wholly unremarkable. But, more
> interestingly, the same neurons fire when their owner watches someone else
> perform that same task. The team has dubbed the novel nerve cells 'mirror'
> neurons, because they seem to be firing in sympathy, reflecting or perhaps
> simulating the actions of others.
>
What makes them novel? How do they differ from other neurons? Just
because they fire in certain situations is not enough to say that they
are a different *kind* of neuron. Most people listen to music primarily
with their right brain, but musicians listen with both hemispheres. That
has been well known for many years, but no one felt it necessary to
postulate special "rehearsal" or "music" neurons to explain the
phenomenon.
> Many neuroscientists are starting to think that in higher primates,
> including humans, these neurons play pivotal role in understanding the
> intentions of others.
It would not at all suprise me to find that cats or rats show similar
patterns of neuron firing. One behavior that has been observed in lab
rats is pausing at the intersection of a maze, sometimes moving the head
in one direction or another. Even the behaviorists called this VTE,
vicarious trial and error. What neurons fire then? Maybe what are being
called "mirror" neurons.
Best,
Bill
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